Madagascar army issues ultimatum

[old medic]

Madagascar army issues ultimatum
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/03/200931014945459539.html

Madagascar's army has called on the country's feuding political leaders to resolve their disputes within 72 hours, or face intervention from the military.

Edmond Rasolomahandry, the army's chief of staff, on Tuesday urged political groups and leaders across Madagascan society, as well as foreign envoys, to work for a solution to Madagascar's three-month long political crisis.

"We implore all political players, civil society organisations and other parties to reunite immediately and to find a solution," he said.

"If no solution is found within this time, we, the armed forces, will fulfil our responsibilities in the greater interests of the nation," said the army chief, without elaborating.

More than 100 people have been killed, the majority at the hands of the security forces, in a wave of opposition protests against the rule of Marc Ravalomanana, Madagascar's president, since the start of the year.

Military concerns

Army officers have expressed increasing unhappiness with the government's use of troops to suppress the protests, led by Andry Rajoelina, the opposition leader who has accused Ravalomanana of running a dictatorship while his people starve.

The army has already compelled Mamy Ranaivoniarivo, the defence minister, to resign, accusing him of "violence against the population" after he ordered soldiers to put down anti-government protests.

Soldiers at Camp Capsat, an army base located on the outskirts of Antananarivo, the Madagascan capital, have now refused to suppress anti-government protests.

Rasolofomahandry has vowed the army will "not take sides".

Mistakes admitted

Meanwhile, the president admitted on state television that he had "made mistakes" in his handling of the country's political crisis.

"This political crisis has to stop. I am ready to listen. I am human and I made mistakes," Ravalomanana said.

He called for a two-day national conference to try to bridge the divide between his government and the opposition.

There were further protests on Tuesday, with hundreds of pro-government protesters massing outside the French embassy, after France said it was sheltering opposition leader Rajoelina.

UN protection

"He has been at the French residence since Friday night, following a request from the international community and the UN mediator," a French diplomat said, adding that the move had been agreed with Ravalomanana.

A diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Rajoelina had left the embassy to hold meetings "in town", and that he was likely to head to the US embassy next.

Rajoelina, whose criticism of the government's economic and social policies has struck a chord with large portions of the population - more than half of Madagascar's 20 million people survive on less than $1 a day - is now under UN protection, saying he fears he will be arrested.

Drame Tiebile, a UN mediator who earlier confirmed that Rajoelina was under UN protection, said that he had been assured by Ravalomanana that the opposition leader would not be arrested.

In a further sign of the diplomatic fallout from the crisis, the US state department said it had "authorised the departure of non-emergency personnel and family members" from the US embassy in Antananarivo.

http://www.france24.com

AFP - Soldiers at a large military base on the outskirts of the Madagascan capital mutinied Sunday in protest at the government's repression of a three-month-old opposition movement.
 
Access roads to the camp in Soanierana district, around six kilometres (four miles) from the city centre, were blocked by mutineering soldiers.
 
"We no longer take orders from our hierarchy, we are following our hearts. We were trained to protect property and citizens, not to fire at people. We are with the people," said one of them, on condition of anonymity.
 
Security forces had foiled several opposition rallies in Antananarivo and other towns since Wednesday, leading to clashes that left at least four people dead.
 
An AFP reporter was able to access one wing of the military compound, where soldiers who refused to be quoted confirmed that the base was rebelling in protest at the regime's repression of opposition demonstrations.
 
"The army chief of staff came this morning in an attempt to sweet-talk us but he quickly had to get back in his car and leave," said one of them.
 
Several witnesses observed soldiers deploying around the base, apparently bracing for retaliation by the presidential guard, but no shots are reported to have been fired since the mutiny started on Sunday.
 
Madagascar has a long history of political instability but until now, the Indian Ocean island's military has been reputed for its loyalist tradition.
 
No official comment was immediately available but the renewed tension comes after opposition leader Andry Rajoelina was forced into hiding following a botched arrest attempt at his residence.
 
On Saturday, Rajoelina, who late last year mounted a fierce challenge against the regime of President Marc Ravalomanana, told AFP that he could no longer risk appearing in public.
 
"I am now hiding in a safe location where I cannot be attacked... Until the dust settles, I can no longer physically appear in front of my supporters," said Rajoelina, who had been leading almost daily protests in central Antananarivo.
 
The 34-year-old opposition leader did not specify whether he was still in the capital Antananarivo or even in the country.
 
According to several officials and witnesses, security forces on Saturday also stormed the offices of Rajoelina's Viva television network and confiscated equipment.
 
The opposition leader describes Ravalomanana as a dictator starving his people and late last year mounted a fierce political challenge against the president, who has been in power since 2002.
 
Rajoelina last week walked out on direct talks with Ravalomanana, accusing his rival of playing down his camp's grievances and pledging to revert to mass street action to unseat the president.
 
On Saturday, he called for a broad forum representing all sectors of the population to be formed in order to reach a decision on the main sticking points that have derailed talks between the rival political camps.
 
The United Nations and African Union have dispatched envoys in a bid to defuse the crisis and prevent a resumption of violent clashes that before the weekend clashes, had already killed close to 100 since the start of the year.
 
Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and Rajoelina's criticism of the regime's economic and social policies has struck a chord with large portions of the population.

 

[old medic]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-af-madagascar,0,1349059.story

Leader of mutinous soldiers in Madagascar declares himself in control of army
By Associated Press
6:18 AM CDT, March 11, 2009

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — The leader of mutinous soldiers in Madagascar has declared himself in control of the army.

Col. Andre Ndrianarijaona told reporters Wednesday the army's chief of staff had agreed to hand over his post to him.

Ndrianarijaona said Gen. Edmond Rasolomahandry had agreed to the change after less than an hour of discussion at the army chief's offices. Rasolomahandry left without comment.

There was no immediate comment from President Marc Ravalomanana, who appointed Rasolomahandry last month.

Ndrianarijaona leads a group of soldiers who announced over the weekend they would no longer take orders from the president. Ndrianarijaona said Wednesday the army was united behind him.

 

[old medic]

http://www.france24.com/en/20090311-opposition-leader-boycott-talks-despite-military-ultimatum-madagascar

Opposition leader to boycott talks despite military ultimatum

Wednesday 11 March 2009
Madagascar's army chief has been sacked for setting a 72-hour ultimatum for leaders to resolve the ongoing power crisis, just hours after opposition leader Andry Rajoelina announced that he would boycott upcoming crisis talks.

Madagascar opposition leader Andry Rajoelina announced that he will boycott crisis talks due to begin Thursday, despite the army's 72-hour ultimatum to resolve a political crisis that has killed more than 100 people since the start of the year. Madagascar's army chief was fired and replaced shorlty afterwards, military sources said.

Speaking on FRANCE 24 on Wednesday morning, Rajoelina's spokesperson explained that Rajoelina does not see the army's ultimatum as a threatened coup but rather as an "act of responsibility", implying that the former mayor may not oppose a scenario in which the army would wrest control from current President Marc Ravalomanana, who appears increasingly isolated.

"Large parts of the army no longer answer to the president  (...) and it's not clear whether he has any loyal security forces left", explains FRANCE 24's special correspondent  in Antananarivo, Cyril Vanier. "Many soldiers consider the president to be profiteering, and resent the fact that they have had to shoot anti-government protesters in the past weeks,, he adds.

During the weekend, soldiers at a key army base near the capital warned they would refuse any further orders to act against the almost-daily demonstrations, but denied their decision amounted to munity.

Neither is the army openly supporting Rajoelina. "We promise to remain neutral. We implore all political players, civil society organisations and other parties to reunite immediately to find a solution within the next 72 hours to help the nation out of the current crisis," General Edmond Rasolomahandry, the army's chief of staff, told reporters on Tuesday. "If a solution is not found after the 72 hours, then we, the armed forces, we will take responsibility for running national affairs and protect the national interest and unity."

Rajoelina's announcement that he will boycutt crisis talks, due to begin on Thursday, made the possibility of a military takeover of the island seem all the more real.

"The balance of power can shift very rapidly," making it very difficult to predict the outcome of the crisis, explains Vanier, adding that given the president's increasing isolation, the situation currently seems to be shifting in favour of his adversary.

Rajoelina, who fears arrest, is currently in hiding in an unspecified foreign embassy, his spokesperson told FRANCE 24.

 

[Yrys]

Rioters set fire to Madagascar TV, Monday, 26 January 2009
Troops patrol Madagascar streets, Wednesday 28 January 2009
Life on hold in Madagascar, Thursday, 29 January 2009
Mayor 'in charge' of Madagascar, Saturday, 31 January 2009
Madagascar's 'militant mayor', Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Madagascar opposition mayor fired, Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Fears of anarchy in Madagascar, Saturday, 28 February 2009
Mayor Is Fired After Bid to Supplant Malagasy Leader , NY Times,  February 3, 2009
Madagascar protests over sacking, Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Mayor Who Tried to Supplant Madagascar’s President Is Fired, NY Times, Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Police 'kill many' in Madagascar, Saturday, 7 February 2009
More Than 20 Killed in Madagascar Protest, NY Times, Saturday, 7 February 2009
In pictures: Madagascar violence, Saturday, 7 February 2009, 7 pictures
Madagascar officers launch mutiny, Sunday, 8 March 2009
Madagascar protests 'to continue', Sunday, 8 March 2009
Army Mutiny Heightens Madagascar Crisis, NY Times, Monday, 9 February 2009
Deadly power struggle lays Madagascar low, Monday, 9 February 2009
Madagascar defence minister quits, Monday, 9 February 2009
Troops oust Madagascar (defence) minister, Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Madagascar army's crisis deadline, Tuesday, 10 March 2009
'Civil war looms' in Madagascar, Wednesday, 11 March 2009





Madagascar police defy government, Thursday, 12 March 2009

Weeks of political chaos have
paralysed the Indian Ocean nation

The head of the military police in Madagascar says his force has stopped taking orders
from the government. General Pily Gilbain said his men were backing the new head of
the army, Col Andre Andriarijaona, who has ousted the commander appointed by the
president.

Correspondents say it means both the army and the military police have now distanced
themselves from beleaguered President Marc Ravalomanana. He has been in a fierce
power struggle with opposition leader Andy Rajoelina. In a statement on national radio
on Thursday, President Ravalomanana tried to regain control, saying: "Our priority is
to restore law and order.

'Fulfil your responsibilities'

"I appeal to the security forces to fulfil their responsibilities and protect the people and
to do it with dignity." At least 100 people have died during opposition protests since
mid-January.

Mr Rajoelina, a 34-year-old former DJ, has been trying to establish a parallel government.
The person he named as his prime minister has met the incumbent premier. Mr Rajoelina
went into hiding last week after the security forces tried to arrest him.

Shops around the centre of the capital reportedly stayed shut on Thursday and streets were
unusually empty of traffic.

The US ambassador to Madagascar warned on Wednesday that the Indian Ocean island nation
was hurtling towards civil war.

Col Andriarijaona named himself chief of staff, ousting Madagascar's top general, who had given
the political rivals until Friday to solve the crisis or face military intervention. He reportedly said
the military was not launching a coup d'etat.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has offered to host peace talks.

On Tuesday, dissident soldiers forced the defence minister to resign.

Mr Rajoelina, who was sacked as mayor of the capital Antananarivo in February, accuses the
president of misspending public money and being a dictator.

Supporters of Mr Ravalomanana, 59, say the opposition leader is a troublemaking upstart who
has overplayed his hand.

CRISIS TIMELINE

Riot police confronting opposition suporters (Feb 2009)
24 January: Opposition protests begin
26 January: Two protesters shot dead
27 January: At least 20 bodies found in burnt shop
31 January: Rajoelina says he is in charge of the country
3 February: Rajoelina sacked as the capital's mayor
7 February: Security forces shoot dead at least 20 protesters
8 March: Section of the army joins opposition
9 March: Rajoelina under UN protection
10 March: Defence minster ousted
11 March: Army chief of staff forced out




Country profile: Madagascar

 

[Yrys]

Madagascar mutineers 'move tanks', Friday, 13 March 2009
Madagascar's 'young pretender', Saturday, 14 March 2009
Madagascar leader given ultimatum, Saturday, 14 March 2009
Madagascar Reaches Showdown for Control, NY Times, March 14, 2009
In pictures: Madagascar unrest, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 8 pictures


Q&A: Madagascar in crisis, Sunday, 15 March 2009

Pressure has been mounting on Madagascar's President, Marc Ravalomanana to quit,
after weeks of political tension. The turmoil has triggered waves of violent protests,
looting and a military mutiny that have left at least 100 people dead since January
on this Indian Ocean island.

So what is the dispute all about?

It is basically a power struggle between President Ravalomanana and opposition leader
Andry Rajoelina. Mr Rajoelina says the president is a tyrant who misspends public money,
while Mr Ravolamanana's supporters call his young rival a troublemaker.

After Mr Rajoelina was elected as mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, he tried to use this
power base to propel him to the country's top job - exactly the same career trajectory as
Mr Ravalomanana. The government sacked Mr Rajoelina from his job at city hall in February.

Why the army mutiny?

There have been increasingly impatient calls in recent weeks from leaders within Madagascar's
military for the political rivals to resolve the crisis. The army's support for the president began
to waver in February after security forces opened fire and killed at least 25 pro-Rajoelina
demonstrators in the capital.

In March, a faction of the army mutinied and its leader named himself chief-of-staff, ousting
the country's top general. Then the military police said they would no longer take orders from
the government.

Is this a coup?

While the mutineers have rejected Mr Ravalomanana, they have not explicitly backed Mr
Rajoelina. The dissidents said their priority was keeping order while the politicians worked
out their differences.

A spokesman for the army mutineers said they had no plans to attack the presidential palace
or the presidential guard, who remain loyal to Mr Ravalomanana.

Why the popular discontent with President Ravalomanana?

Under President Ravalomanana, the country had been taking its first tentative steps into the
global market after decades of socialism. Multinational corporations including Rio Tinto and
Exxon Mobil have arrived, pouring millions of dollars into government coffers.

The president himself has seen his own business interests - which range from dairy products
to cooking oil - rise and rise. But food and fuel have become more expensive while the foreign
funds have not improved the quality of life for most people. Some 70% of Madagascar's 20
million population live on incomes of less than $2 (£1.40) a day, and the opposition has tapped
into growing resentment.

The final straw for many was the mooted plan to lease one million acres in the south of the
country to the Korean firm Daewoo for intensive farming. Malagasy people have deep ties with
their land and this was seen by many as a betrayal by their president.

What is Andry Rajoelina's background?

Mr Rajoelina is a baby-faced 34-year-old former DJ and businessman with media interests,
including ownership of a TV and radio station. He went into hiding but emerged a week later
to address a rally of supporters in Antananarivo and give the president an ultimatum to leave
office. The opposition leader is trying to set up his own alternative government, but has not
gone into much detail about what he would do differently from Mr Ravalomanana.

Some say Mr Rajoelina is being supported by political heavyweights from the country's past -
allies of long-time leader Didier Ratsiraka, who lost an equally bitter and power divisive power
struggle against Mr Ravalomanana in 2002, following disputed elections.

What happens next?

President Ravalomanana announced in Mid-march he was ready to hold a referendum to end
the crisis. The president had previously insisted he would stay in power until his mandate ran
out in 2011.

It is not clear if the army will intervene directly although the new chief of staff said his forces
could end up backing the opposition "if it would restore calm" to the country of 20 million people.
The United Nations has sent an envoy to try to negotiate a peaceful settlement and former colonial
power France has also been trying to use its influence.

In the meantime, those foreign investors who have put money into the country - often aiming
to take advantage of the potential for eco-tourism in this bio-diverse island - are starting to
have second thoughts.

 

[Yrys]

Crisis isolates Madagascan leader, Sunday, 15 March 2009


Madagascar president offers poll, Sunday, 15 March 2009

Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana has said he is prepared to hold a referendum
to end the country's political crisis. The move comes amid growing tensions in the capital
Antananarivo, with Mr Ravalomanana vowing to ignore opposition calls to resign.

The opposition had earlier threatened to march on the presidential palace if Mr Ravalomanana
refused to stand down. At least 100 people have been killed since protests broke out in January.

Mr Ravalomanana told thousands of his supporters gathered outside the presidential palace
that he was "not afraid" of holding a referendum. "We must follow democratic principles.
If we have to, we will organise a referendum," he said.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Antananarivo said Mr Ravalamanana's offer was an indication of how
much pressure he was under from the opposition, led by the capital's former mayor, Andry
Rajoelina.

'Street protest'

It was not immediately clear what the content of the proposed referendum would be, but the
president's special advisers told the BBC it would be along the lines of whether Mr Ravalamanana
should remain in office.

Mr Rajoelina had said earlier that he was in "permanent contact" with the army and giving them
orders.

But our correspondent says there appear to be divisions within the military, with some elements
joining calls for the president's resignation and others deeply opposed to Mr Rajoelina's ambitions.
Mr Ravalomanana, democratically elected to a second term in office in 2006, has described the
opposition movement as an undemocratic street protest which "uses terror and repression to
survive".

The crisis has hurt the country's economy. Its tourist industry, worth nearly $400m (£290m) a year,
has now had two months with no revenue. Under President Ravalomanana, Madagascar's economy
opened to foreign investment but 70% of the nation's 20 million population still live on incomes of
less than $2 (£1.40) a day.



Madagascar presidency, in French

 

[old medic]

Madagascar opposition leader declares himself president
But the increasingly isolated President Marc Ravalomanana refuses to resign. Opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, untroubled, moves into an empty office in the capital.
Associated Press
March 15, 2009

Antananarivo, Madagascar -- Madagascar's opposition chief emerged from two weeks of hiding to declare himself president on Saturday, setting up another showdown with the country's increasingly isolated leader, who defied demands to resign.

Embattled President Marc Ravalomanana prevailed the first time the two men tangled, but now his power base has disappeared against an opposition that is promising elections within two years on this island off Africa's southeast coast.

On Saturday, Ravalomanana -- a master of political infighting -- refused to quit, even though he has lost the support of much of the military.

"I am still president," Ravalomanana, 49, declared outside the presidential palace to a crowd of about 2,000 supporters, many wielding bars and sticks.

But in another part of the capital, opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, 34, set a deadline of just a few hours for Ravalomanana to dissolve the government and give up the leadership of this poor Indian Ocean island of 20 million people. The opposition also moved without resistance into the empty offices of the less powerful prime minister and named someone to replace him.

More than 100 people have been killed since demonstrations erupted in Madagascar in January.

There was a tense calm Saturday, after sporadic looting earlier in the week, and the military did not intervene.

"There is only one solution. The resignation of Marc Ravalomanana," Rajoelina told a crowd of about 10,000 jubilant demonstrators Saturday in his first public appearance since he went into hiding at the French Embassy two weeks ago, fearing arrest.

 

[old medic]

African Union slams opposition's 'coup d'état' attempt
Monday 16 March 2009
http://www.france24.com/en/20090316-african-union-slams-opposition-protests-coup-detat-madagascar-rajoelina-ravalomanana

The African Union said on Monday that a push by the opposition in Madagascar to remove the president was an attempted coup d'etat and called on the people of the Indian Ocean island to respect their constitution.

"The situation in Madagascar is an internal conflict. It is an attempted coup d'etat. We condemn the attempted coup d'etat," Edouard Alo-Glele, Benin's envoy to Ethiopia, told reporters after a meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council.

The condemnation followed opposition leader Andry Rajoelina's call for President Marc Ravalomanana's arrest, during a rally in the capital Antananarivo on Monday.

"I ask the army and police and all those who can to carry out the minister of justice's demand, because Andry Rajoelina is impatient to get into office," he told his supporters.

However, the new army chief Andre Andriarijaona, who is currently leading the soldiers who mutinied on Sunday, told FRANCE 24's special correspondent Cyril Vanier that the army would not issue the arrest warrant. "According to the new army chief, their role is not to arrest the people, it's to stand by the people," Vanier reported.

'No need to hold a referendum'

Earlier on Monday, Rajoelina rejected Ravalomanana's offer to hold a referendum to solve the political stand-off.

"The referendum is already done. The people have already expressed themselves. There is no need to hold a referendum," he told national television prior to an opposition rally. "The resignation of Ravalomanana is the solution."

The embattled president on Sunday dismissed rival Rajoelina’s call to quit office, saying he would face a referendum if necessary. The head of state, however, gave no further details as to what type of poll he would agree to participate in. Negotiations between the two sides ground to a halt weeks ago.

The tense stand-off continued as loud explosions were heard near the presidential palace early on Monday. Mutinous soldiers fired three times in the direction of the presidential palace, special correspondent Cyril Vanier told FRANCE 24, but missed by several hundred metres.

The attack may have been an attempt to intimidate the president’s followers, hundreds of whom have been expressing their support by standing outside the palace.

Opposition claims control of army

Thirty-four-year-old Rajoelina, former mayor of the capital Antananarivo, set up a parallel government in February in a bid to destabilise the government.

On Saturday, the opposition claimed to have toppled the government and taken control of the army.

In response, Madagascar's army said it would not intervene in the tussle, but the army's chief of staff, Colonel Andre Andriarijaona, said his forces could end up supporting the opposition "if it would restore calm."

Rajoelina called on Ravalomanana to relinquish power, but the increasingly isolated president said he would never give up power voluntarily.

African Union officials called an emergency meeting to discuss the political crisis on Monday morning.

The power struggle since early 2009 has killed at least 135 people and battered the Indian Ocean island’s economy.

 

[Yrys]

Madagascar Crisis May Go to a Vote, AP, March 15, 2009
Madagascar army declares support for opposition leader, Monday, March 16, 2009


BREAKING NEWS :
Madagascar military storms palace, at 16:24 GMT, Monday, 16 March 2009

Gunfire has broken out in the centre of Madagascar's capital Antananarivo as
the army entered a residence of President Marc Ravalomanana.

Protests, looting and a mutiny has resulted from the unrest that has left at
least 100 people dead since January.

It came hours after opposition leader Andry Rajoelina called for the security
forces to arrest the president. The armed forces head said it was 99% behind
the opposition. The president is in a different building. Mr Ravalomanana is in
another presidential palace, Iavoloha, which is about 10km (six miles) from
the city centre.

Earlier on Monday, the embattled president again proposed a referendum to
resolve the seven-week political crisis. Mr Ravalomanana, who was
democratically re-elected for a second term in office in 2006, has previously
said he wants to remain in office until his mandate expires in 2011.

But the opposition leader rejected Mr Ravalomanana's plebiscite plan and
called for him to be arrested. Mr Rajoelina said: "The people are thirsty for
change and that's why we won't have a referendum and will put our transitional
government in place."

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Antananarivo says Mr Rajoelina has wrapped himself
in the cloak of democracy, but he wants to replace an elected head of state
without going to a ballot. The opposition leader, a 34-year-old former disc jockey,
says the president is a tyrant who misspends public money.

But Mr Ravalomanana's supporters say his rival is a young troublemaker who has
not offered any policy alternatives. Under President Ravalomanana, Madagascar's
economy has opened up to foreign investment, particularly in the mining sector.

But 70% of the 20 million population still lives on less than $2 (£1.40) a day and
correspondents say the opposition has tapped into popular frustration at the
failure of this new wealth to trickle down.

 

[old medic]

Madagascar president holed up in palace
Mar. 17 2009  The Associated Press
copy at http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090317/Madagascar_palace_090317/20090317?hub=World

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar -- Madagascar's embattled president was holed up on the edge of town Tuesday, surrounded by supporters a day after dozens of soldiers seized an unoccupied presidential palace.

Many in the capital expected opposition leader Andry Rajoelina to set up a base in the downtown palace, where the soldiers pushed through the gates in an armored vehicle Monday night, meeting no resistance.

Troops could be seen taking control of the streets around that palace Tuesday, directing traffic and blocking off streets.

Other soldiers had told the president's supporters to take down barricades around the building where he was staying but they remained up Tuesday.

Rajoelina accuses President Marc Ravalomanana of misspending public funds and undermining democracy in Madagascar -- an impoverished Indian Ocean island known both for its natural beauty and its history of political infighting and instability.

Rajoelina declared himself president of a transitional government over the weekend and promised new presidential elections within two years. On Monday, he called on the army to arrest the president, but soldiers have not moved on him.

The president charges that Rajoelina is seeking power by unconstitutional means, and has said he would not resign. The breakaway army faction that took over the palace Monday has not explicitly backed but the split in the military has greatly weakened the president.

Edmond Razafimanantena, a newsstand owner in the capital, said he didn't want the president, his rival or the soldiers in charge.

"You can't expect anything from these politicians, the opposition is as bad as the government. And you can't accept mutinous soldiers running the country," he said.

Tensions have been rising since late January, when the government blocked an opposition radio station's signal. Rajoelina supporters set fire to a building in the government broadcasting complex as well as an oil depot, a shopping mall and a private TV station linked to Ravalomanana. Scores of people were killed.

Days later, soldiers opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing at least 25. The incident -- at the same palace seized Monday -- cost Ravalomanana much of the support of the military, which blamed him for the order to fire at demonstrators.

Angele Ramaromihanta, a secretary living in the capital, said a peaceful solution must be found.

"I don't understand why the politicians don't want to talk," she said Tuesday. "I'm afraid of the army seizing power -- donors won't want to help us."

 

[old medic]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090317/Madagascar_pres_090318/20090318?hub=World

Court accepts Rajoelina as Madagascar president
Mar. 18 2009    The Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar -- Madagascar's highest court on Wednesday said the army's move to replace the toppled president with his rival was legal, but the African Union was considering whether it constituted a coup.

Supporters of opposition leader Andry Rajoelina had approached the constitutional court to affirm the army's action. In a radio address Wednesday, the court announced its approval -- even though at 34, Rajoelina is six years too young to be president under the country's constitution.

For months, Rajoelina has been leading anti-government rallies and pressing Marc Ravalomanana to step down from the presidency. He accused Ravalomanana of misspending public funds and undermining democracy on this Indian Ocean island off Africa's southeast coast.

Some of Rajoelina's protests led to deadly clashes. The deaths of at least 25 civilians last month cost Ravalomanana the support of a faction of the military, and a mutiny spread and gained popular support.

After weeks of insisting he would never resign, Ravalomanana announced Tuesday afternoon he was ceding control to the military. Almost as he spoke, Rajoelina was parading triumphantly through the capital surrounded by armed soldiers and an adoring crowd after seizing control of one of the city's presidential palaces.

In a ceremony broadcast from a military camp in the capital late Tuesday, Vice-Admiral Hyppolite Rarison Ramaroson said he and two other generals rejected Ravalomanana's attempt earlier that day to transfer power to the military.

Ramaroson said the military instead was installing the president's bitter rival Rajoelina as the country's leader.

The African Union was examining whether what had taken place was a coup, which would lead to Madagascar's automatic suspension from the continent-wide body, said Bruno Nongoma Zidouemba, the temporary chairman of the AU's Peace and Security Council. He said a meeting on the issue was set for Thursday.

 

[old medic]

African Union suspends Madagascar over coup
Mar. 20 2009
The Associated Press
copy at : http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090320/AU_madagascar_090320/20090320?hub=World

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- The African Union on Friday suspended Madagascar as the international community stepped up the pressure on the increasingly isolated island nation where the army forced the country's president from power.

France, the former colonial power and Madagascar's biggest donor, condemned the replacement of the nation's president by an army-backed politician as a coup and the United States cut all non-humanitarian aid.

It was the first time that France had criticized the change of leadership since new leader Andry Rajoelina took power.

After months of street protests, Marc Ravalomanana resigned as Madagascar's president Tuesday and placed power in the hands of the military. Within hours, the military announced it was making opposition leader Rajoelina the country's new president.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy told journalists in Brussels that Madagascar's president had been "toppled" and the new leadership's move to suspend parliament was "not positive."

The backlash against Madagascar began Thursday when countries in the southern Africa region said they will not recognize Rajoelina.

Rajoelina has accused his ousted rival of misspending public funds and undermining democracy. He says his rise was a victory for "true democracy" over dictatorship and has promised new elections within two years.

The AU's second most important body, the Peace and Security Council, on Friday gave Madagascar six months to restore a constitutional government, probably through elections, said Bruno Nongoma Zidouemba, the council's temporary chairman.

If it does not comply, the AU will consider imposing sanctions on the Indian Ocean island's leaders, Zidouemba told reporters.

"The council is of the opinion that what's occurred in Madagascar entered into the definition of an unconstitutional change of government," said Zidouemba, Burkina Faso's ambassador to the AU.

He said the AU had also asked foreign governments, including France, which had supported the new president, to stand by the AU's position.

France has said two years was too long to wait for elections.

"I regret what happened in Madagascar," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told journalists in Brussels on Friday.

"I hold the new leaders responsible for the physical well-being of the former president (Marc Ravalomanana)," Sarkozy said. "Whatever he did, he must be judged if there is need. But you don't take care of business like this."

He said that he was not defending Ravalomanana, about whom, "many things can be said."

Ravalomanana had accused Rajoelina of seeking power by unconstitutional means, since under the constitution the 34-year-old opposition leader was too young to become president.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in Washington that the amount of aid to be suspended was not immediately clear. He called on the people of Madagascar to immediately take steps to restore constitutional rule.

In South Africa, the country's defense minister said the Southern African Development Community would recommend sanctions against Madagascar.

"The sanctions must indeed send a clear signal that SADC does not tolerate this kind of thing," Charles Nqakula, South Africa's defense minister, told journalists in Pretoria.

 

[Yrys]

In pictures: Storming a palace, Monday, 16 March 2009, 10 pictures

1.The African Union condemned what it called an "attempted coup" by
the opposition and urged the people of Madagascar to respect the
constitution.

3. The president was not in the compound but is under mounting
pressure to step down. Soldiers moved in after a military official
using a loudspeaker ordered all remaining guards inside to leave.

9.The army has traditionally remained neutral during periods of
political volatility since independence from France in 1960, but
Mr Rajoelina has won public backing from the armed forces'
self-declared head.

 

[Yrys]

'I fear a civil war', Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Madagascar president bows to inevitable, Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Madagascar leader axes land deal, Thursday, 19 March 2009
A happy ending for Madagascar?, Thursday, 19 March 2009
Pressure grows on Madagascar coup, Friday, 20 March 2009
African Union Suspends Madagascar, AP, March 20, 2009



Madagascar's leader is sworn in, Saturday, 21 March 2009

Madagascar's Andry Rajoelina, who ousted President Marc Ravalomanana this week,
has been installed formally as leader of the Indian Ocean island. Madagascar's highest
court this week approved the handover of power. Tens of thousands of his supporters
attended the ceremony at a sports arena in the capital, Antananarivo, but it was
boycotted by many diplomats.

On Friday, the US cut off non-humanitarian aid to Madagascar and the African Union
suspended its membership. "The ambassadors to the US, France, Germany and the
European Union have told us they won't be attending," an aide to the deposed
Mr Ravalomanana told Reuters new agency before Saturday's ceremony.

About 2,000 of the former president's supporters reportedly held a counter-rally
at Antananarivo's Democracy Square.

The BBC's Christina Corbett in Antananarivo says widespread condemnation of
Mr Rajoelina's military-backed rise to power has not deterred him from throwing
a lavish inauguration ceremony. Aides close to Mr Rajoelina say they are not
concerned by the string of international denouncements that has followed the
former president's removal.

Mr Rajoelina, a 34-year-old ex-disc jockey, has suspended parliament and set up
two transitional bodies to run the Indian Ocean island.

Questions over legality

Amid questions over the legality of his rise to power, Africa's youngest and newest
leader is calling himself "president of the transitional authority", while his
government reportedly called Saturday's ceremony an "installation", rather than a
"swearing-in".

The former Antananarivo mayor, who has never stood for national office, has
promised elections within 18 to 24 months, but foreign powers have called for polls
sooner. Mr Rajoelina wants to change the constitution, which at present bars him
from contesting presidential elections, as he is six years too young, although the
Constitutional Court has already endorsed him as
national leader.

Washington called the takeover a "coup" while Norway also cut aid to Madagascar,
where 70% of government spending comes from overseas funds. The EU has added
its voice to the chorus of condemnation and the Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) has threatened sanctions against Madagascar.

Roindefo Monja, prime minister in Mr Rajoelina's transitional administration, said
on Friday the new government stood by its actions. "The people demanded liberty
and the military rallied to the popular movement, but it did not seize power...
We are confident the international community will understand," he said.

There is still no word on the whereabouts of Mr Ravalomanana, whose re-election
to a second term in 2006 could not save him from being ousted. He quit after weeks
of deadly street protests amid the power struggle and handed power to the military,
which then named his bitter enemy Mr Rajoelina as leader.